Global Media Outreach (GMO), a digital ministry that specializes in online evangelism, recently collaborated with photographer Michael Belk for a new campaign called "Something Better."
GMO, known for making 2 billion online Gospel presentations worldwide, collaborated with Belk, creator of the photo series "Journeys with the Messiah," for a new, innovative campaign designed to share the hope, peace, and rest that can solely be found in Jesus.
The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of GMO, Randy Valentine, told the Christian Post in an interview that the new campaign combines the Gospel message with photos of a first-century Jesus interacting with people in the 21st century.
Something Better leverages the power of technology to spread the knowledge of Christ by utilizing varieties of Gospel materials, combined with Belk's photographs, through multiple topical websites, cellphone networks, the internet, and social media.
"The Gospel is so compelling in and of itself, but combining that with these images of Jesus interacting with modern-day individuals causes you to really stop and say, 'What if this really did happen? How does this apply to me?'" Valentine told the outlet.
The new and innovative campaign aims to present the Gospel to every person in America by demonstrating to those who are looking for hope that Jesus has "something better for them."
The campaign comes as a very timely response to the current situation brought about by the COVID pandemic. Valentine noted that since the pandemic started, more and more people have been searching Google for various things such as fears around the virus, uncertain finances, anxiety, discouragement, and the like.
The CMO said the Something Better campaign will allow people to see relevant Gospel-related images when they search for things in the campaign's website. The images delivered will be based on the keywords they use when searching.
Valentine noted that according to science, people are more able to retain messages or images when they see words and photos combined. When we combine those two things, it's really powerful," he said.
Belk, a fashion photographer, said his photos try to explore the relevance of Jesus Christ's messages in modern-day settings. Some of the photos he created for the campaign depict Jesus with various people, such as Nazis and prostitutes, and items such as luxury cars and motorcycles. Some photos also address modern-day issues like addiction, destitution, materialism, and hypocrisy.
"We're showing people that Jesus is bigger than all of the issues we're facing and that He has the answer for all of our needs, from fear to exhaustion," Belk, whose works have been featured in various magazines such as GQ and Vogue, said.
One of the photos that most resonates with Americans, Belk said, was a photo entitled "Rest of the Weary."
The photo shows a man in a tuxedo outfit collapsed on a stairway. The man's head rests on the lap of Jesus while papers from his open suitcase are scattered around.
A massive outreach
GMO expects that through the campaign, they will be able to connect with 150 million Americans and see 30 million decisions for Christ.
Valentine optimistically revealed that as of October, during the campaign's preliminary testing, already 83,699 individuals had interacted with a "Something Better" website. Of those people, 17,186 said "yes" to Christ and almost 2,000 showed interest in connecting with one of GMO's online missionaries to have a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
Valentine added that people have emailed GMO revealing that the campaign helped them gain hope in this time of need. The campaign is also attracting the young, specifically those from Gen Y and Gen Z, he added.
The current pandemic, Belk said, has prompted people to ask questions about the meaning of life like never before, adding that this time could be a time of "captivity" for people everywhere.
"But maybe, it is an opportunity to discover something better," the photographer said. "Our Sovereign God knew what He was doing all along and we're just leaning into that through Something Better."
